For the benefit of certain members of the working class, those who have just recently become politically active, I should mention that the United States of America is commonly referred to as ‘’America’’, and the citizens of that country refer to themselves as ‘’Americans’’. Even though the terms are not completely accurate, I have chosen to use them, out of respect for the American working people.
The ‘’Founding Fathers’’ of that country, were true revolutionaries, a far sighted group of men. They were careful to establish a new government with three distinct ‘’branches’’, each with a unique set of responsibilities, and the ability to limit the others. This division of power is referred to as a set of ‘’checks and balances’’. These laws were enshrined in the ‘’American Constitution’’, a truly revolutionary document.
The most visible branch is that of the ‘’Executive’’, and is composed of the President, Vice President, and members of his Cabinet. It is the duty of the Executive branch to ‘’enforce and carry out laws’’. The President is also the ‘’Head of State’’, and ‘’Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces’’. He also oversees federal agencies, negotiates treaties with other countries, and can ‘’Veto’’ Congressional legislation. Both the President and Vice President serve four year terms. The election of the executive branch is commonly referred to as a ‘’Presidential Election’’. Even though the term is not completely accurate, I have chosen to go with it, as it is so widely used.
The elections of the legislative branch, which take place between the Presidential elections, are referred to as ‘’Midterm Elections’.
The ‘’Legislative Branch’’ is referred to as the ‘’Congress’’, and is modelled after the British Parliament. The Congress is composed of the ‘’House of Representatives’’ and the ‘’Senate’’. The ‘’House’’ is composed of 435 ‘’Members’’, each serving a two year term. In Britain, a similar organization is referred to as the ‘’House of Commons’’.
The ‘’Senate’’ is composed of one hundred members, two from each state, each serving a six year term. Such an organization in Britain is referred to as the ‘’House of Lords’’.
The House of Representatives is commonly referred to as the Congress, while the expression ‘’Both Houses of Congress’’ is a reference to the House and Senate. It is the duty of the ‘’Legislative Branch’’ to ‘’Make Laws’’, otherwise known as ‘’Legislation’’. They also approve the federal budget, confirm presidential appointments and treaties, can impeach and remove federal officials, and have the authority to declare war.
The ‘’Judicial Branch’’ is composed of the Supreme Court and Federal Courts. There are nine Supreme Court Justices, each serving a lifetime term. It is their duty to ensure that all laws passed, as well as all ‘’Executive actions’’, are legal, within the ‘’bounds of the Constitution’’.
For the purposes of this article, allow me to stress the fact that the Congress controls the money, and only the Congress can declare war!
May I also stress the fact that the last time war was declared, was in 1941! World War Two! America went to war with both Japan and Germany. All subsequent wars, in which America was engaged, have been illegal! Unconstitutional!
What happened? What went wrong? What did not happen? How is it that the series of ‘’checks and balances’’, which the American Forefathers so thoughtfully placed in the Constitution, failed to prevent various Presidents from going to war? In direct violation of the Constitution!
The members of the legislative branch, in both Houses of Congress, have abdicated their authority! They have allowed the President to usurp their authority! The problem is not that the series of ‘’checks and balances’’, which were so carefully placed in the Constitution, do not work! The problem is that the democratically elected leaders, in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, are not performing their duty! They must be held accountable! Further, as a result of the revolutionary motion currently sweeping the country, countless common people, both workers and farmers, have become politically active, demanding change.
That is the reason the Midterm Elections are of such critical importance. No longer apathetic, a great many of them are at least ‘’casting a ballot’’, perhaps for the first time in their lives. Quite reasonably, they expect those who win the election, regardless of the political party, to perform their duty!
Granted, there are numerous Scientific Socialists, well meaning Communists, who are of the opinion that the Midterm Elections ‘’do not concern us’’, that they are of ‘’no importance’’. The reason they say this, is because they consider ‘’bourgeois democracy to be historically obsolete’’. Such an attitude is fundamentally flawed.
Lenin covers this supremely well in his article, Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder, written in 1920, two and one half years after the Great Russian Soviet Socialist October Revolution, otherwise known as the ‘’October Revolution’’.
The significance of that Revolution cannot be overstated! But perhaps it would be best to give the opinion of Lenin, concerning that subject. Bear in mind that, in 1917, Russia was subjected to two Revolutions! In February of that year, the first spontaneous Revolution forced Tsar Nicholas to step down, to ‘’abdicate the throne’’. This gave birth to a ‘’democratic republic’’, as the nobility was no longer the ruling class, the common people were represented by a parliament, referred to as a ‘’Duma’’, or as a ‘’Constituent Assembly’’, and all citizens had some ‘’democratic rights’’, at least ‘’on paper’’.
That was as far as the working class could go! They had reached the limit of their ability! The ruling class of nobility, in the family of the Romanovs, which had crushed and exploited them for three hundred years, was on longer in power! It was a huge step in the right direction, but only a step! The new ruling classes of landlords and capitalists, continued to crush and exploit them. And yet the working class people of Russia did not know- and could not know!- that they were destined to overthrow the landlords and capitalists, and to crush them, under a state of Scientific Socialism, in the form of Soviet Power and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat!
It is one thing for the working class to be destined to assume political power, and something else entirely to be made aware of this! The conditions of life of the working class, the proletariat, do not lead to the awareness of itself, as a class, with its own class interests. Further, the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin are taught only in University, and then only with a view to distorting those theories!
It is the duty of Scientific Socialist, true Communists, to make the working class aware of these revolutionary theories, and at the same time, to raise the level of awareness of the most advanced workers, to that of Scientific Socialists!
That was precisely the problem that Lenin faced, immediately after the successful Russian February Revolution of 1917. In order to carry the Revolution forward, to overthrow the landlords and capitalists, it was first necessary to raise the level of awareness of the working class, the proletariat, as well as the family farmers. The Communist Party, at that time referred to as the ‘’Bolsheviks’’, managed to do this, within the space of a few short months. The subsequent ‘’October Revolution’’ of 1917, led to a state of Scientific Socialism, in the form of Soviet Power and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. As Lenin stated:
‘’The revolutions of February and October 1917, led to the all round development of the Soviets on a nation wide scale, and to their victory in the proletariat socialist revolution. In less than two years, the international character of the Soviets, the spread of this form of struggle and organization to the world working class movement, and the historical mission of the Soviets as the grave digger, heir and successor of bourgeois parliamentarianism and of bourgeois democracy in general, all became clear.’’
It was only after the successful Scientific Socialist Revolution of October, that workers ‘’around the world’’, embraced Soviet Power and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Truly, ‘’seeing is believing’’! Lenin went on to state:
‘’The proletarian vanguard has been won over ideologically. That is the main thing. Without this, not even the first step towards victory can be made. But that is still quite a long way from victory. Victory cannot be won with a vanguard alone.’’
The astute reader may object that the situation has changed, and quite dramatically. True! The ‘’proletarian vanguard’’ is no longer ‘’won over ideologically’’. This is due, in no small part, to the temporary reversals which have taken place, in the formerly socialist republics of the Soviet Union and China. We do not deny that the capitalists have managed to return to power, due to the mistakes which were made, by both Stalin and Mao. As I have gone into this in previous articles, there is no need to repeat it here. Suffice it to say that it is now our duty to learn from those mistakes, so as to avoid a repetition.
Our ‘’immediate goal’’ now, is to ‘’win over the proletarian vanguard ideologically’’. Which is not to say the ‘’broad masses’’ must be neglected! On the contrary, we have to set ourselves the goal of raising the most advanced workers to the level of Scientific Socialists, while at the same time convincing the ‘’vast majority’’ of the workers, of the correctness of our policy. As Lenin stated:
‘’As long as it was (and inasmuch as it still is) a question of winning the proletariat’s vanguard over the the side of communism, priority went and still goes to propaganda work; even propaganda circles, with all their parochial limitations, are useful under these conditions, and produce good results. But when it is a question of practical action by the masses, of the disposition, if one may so put it, of vast armies, of the alignment of all the class forces in a given society for the final and decisive battle, then propagandist methods alone, the mere repetition of the truths of ‘pure’ communism, are of no avail. In these circumstances, one must not count in thousands, like the propagandist belonging to a small group that has not not yet given leadership to the masses; in these circumstances, one must count in millions and tens of millions. In these circumstances, we must ask ourselves, not only whether we have convinced the vanguard of the revolutionary class, but also whether the historically effective forces of all classes- positively of all the classes in a given society, without exception- are arrayed in such a way that the decisive battle is at hand- in such a way that: (1) all the class forces hostile to us have become sufficiently entangled, are sufficiently at loggerheads with each other, have sufficiently weakened themselves in a struggle which is beyond their strength; (2) all the vacillating and unstable, intermediate elements- the petty bourgeoisie and the petty bourgeois democrats, as distinct from the bourgeoisie- have sufficiently exposed themselves in the eyes of the people, have sufficiently disgraced themselves through their practical bankruptcy, and (3) among the proletariat, a mass sentiment favouring the most determined, bold and dedicated revolutionary action against the bourgeoisie, has emerged and begun to grow vigourously. Then revolution is indeed ripe; then indeed, if we have correctly gauged all the conditions indicated and summarized above, and if we have chosen the right moment, our victory is assured.’’(italics by Lenin)
As countless workers are now focused on the Midterm Elections, as a result of the revolutionary motion currently sweeping the country, this provides us with an opportunity to raise their level of awareness. Yet this is clearly not happening, if only because we have as yet to create a true International Scientific Socialist Communist Party.
Numerous ‘’Leftist’’ journalists have ‘’taken to the airways’’, producing countless videos, in an attempt to explain that which is taking place. None of them make any mention of the existence of classes, or the conflict between them. Perhaps the finest of the sad lot, was created by the highly respected ‘’Independent Socialist Senator’’, from the state of Vermont. It is titled, ‘’PUT HEAVY TAXES ON MUSK, Bernie Sanders Demands Immediate Action On Billionaires’’, and runs for 15:59. I have chosen to transcribe the pertinent parts:
‘’Let me begin by thanking the millions of Americans who were actively involved in the election yesterday….for giving the Democrats a strong majority. Yesterday, Trump told us to vote as if he were on the ballot… and that is exactly what the American people did. Together, we stood up to authoritarianism, and a president who does not believe in the Constitution, or the rule of law. And we won. With Democratic control over the Senate and the House, we will now finally be able to hold Donald Trump accountable. That is a big deal. But as important as it is, it is not enough. ..We are living in an unprecedented moment in American history, where our country faces extraordinary crises. … It is no secret that in the United States, and all over the world, people are giving up on democracy. ..All over the world…working families are struggling to put food on the table, and pay for basic necessities, while the very richest people become much richer. ..an international issue… The American people have had enough…They are demanding real change…they want a government that stands for working families, not billionaire campaign contributors…the American people want change…income and wealth inequality has reached unprecedented levels….We must take on the greed of the very, very rich, and their incredible wealth. …a wealth tax on billionaires…(this is followed by a ‘’wish list’’ of reforms) …our health care system is broken….health care must be considered as a human right….(this was followed by a tirade against AI, Artificial Intelligence) …the minimum wage must increase dramatically… increase pensions for seniors…cut military spending…must end war in Iran….we are fighting to give hope to the American people to allow them to understand in fact that their government can work for them…’’
Allow me to stress the fact that Senator Sanders is a highly respected individual, a successful politician, a self described ‘’Independent Socialist’’, and a member of the DSA, the Democratic Socialists of America. He is also widely regarded as the leader of the ‘’Leftist’’ faction in America. Without doubt, he is a fine example of the ‘’Utopian’’ socialism, which is currently being offered, as an ‘’alternative’’ to capitalism. Now to examine that which he is proposing.
On the one hand, Sanders documents the ‘’crises’’ currently facing the country, and the fact that working people are ‘’giving up on democracy’’. True! With good reason! The working class must be made aware of the fact that the existing state apparatus, in the form of the ‘’democratic republic’’, has been set up by the ruling class of multi billionaires, the bourgeoisie, currently referred to as the ‘’Oligarchy’’, in order to crush and exploit the ‘’lower classes’’, the workers and farmers! Sanders merely glosses over the very existence of that class of people! He makes no mention of the continuous class struggle, soon to break out into open class warfare, between the two classes! He even goes so far as to ‘’give hope’’, to the ‘’American people’’, that the government, which has been set up to crush them, can somehow ‘’work for them!’’ Nonsense!
Those same working people are supremely well aware of the ‘’wealth inequality’’, which Sanders so delicately pointed out, in great detail. They are equally well aware that the gap is growing! As they are becoming ever more impoverished, the billionaires are becoming ever more wealthy! Not a coincidence! The wealth of the capitalists comes at the expense of the proletariat!
There is no need to tell the working class, the proletariat, that which they are already well aware! There is an urgent need to tell them that which they need to know! They need to become class conscious! Aware of themselves as a class, with interests which are diametrically opposed to the interests of the class of the monopoly capitalists! Aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin! Aware that the bourgeoisie must be overthrown, the existing state apparatus must be smashed and replaced with a different state apparatus, in the form of Soviet Power and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat!
The interest aroused by the ‘’Midterm Elections’’, provides us with an opportunity to do just that. Yet that is not happening! Instead, workers are being bombarded with a barrage of proposed ‘’alternative reforms’’. As this is mainly coming from the DSA, it is not too surprising. The DSA is ‘’socialist in name only’’! Their ‘’mission statement’’ makes it clear that they are fighting merely for democracy and reforms! They make no mention of socialism! Hypocrites!
The best way to combat the confusion, created within the minds of the working people- if not the only way!- is through the creation of a true International Scientific Socialist Communist Party.
Perhaps the best way to finish this article, is by referring to an article written by Lenin, in 1918. It is titled The Proletarian Revolution, and the Renegade Kautsky. He concluded that article with a statement which has resounded through the years. It is just as relevant now, as when it was first written:
‘’Europe’s greatest misfortune and danger is that it has no revolutionary party. It has parties of traitors like the Scheidemanns, Renaudels, Hendersons, Webbs and Co., and of servile souls like Kautsky. But it has no revolutionary party.
‘’Of course, a mighty, popular revolutionary movement may rectify this deficiency, but it is nevertheless a serious misfortune and a grave danger.
‘’That is why we must do our utmost to expose renegades like Kautsky, thereby supporting the revolutionary groups of genuine internationalist workers, who are to be found in all countries. The proletariat will very soon turn away from the traitors and renegades, and follow these groups, drawing and training leaders from their midst. No wonder the bourgeoisie of all countries are howling about ‘world Bolshevism’.
‘’World Bolshevism will conquer world bourgeoisie.’’ (italics by Lenin, at that time Communism was referred to as Bolshevism)
Without doubt, we are now experiencing a ‘’mighty, popular revolutionary movement’’, and not just here in North America. We can only hope that this revolutionary movement will serve to ‘’rectify this deficiency’’. In the mean time, as I documented in a previous article, it is our duty to expose the renegades, and in this way support the ‘’revolutionary groups of genuine internationalist workers’’, the most advanced of the most advanced, those who are to be ‘’found in all countries’’. It is also our duty to identify those revolutionary groups of genuine international workers, in each and every country.
Without doubt, we have our work cut out for ourselves. Yet we can also expect the bourgeois to provide us with a little help. As Marx and Engels stated, in the Communist Manifesto:
‘’Finally, in times when the class struggle nears the decisive hour, the process of dissolution going on within the ruling class, in fact within the whole range of old society, assumes such a violent, glaring character, that a small section of the ruling class cuts itself adrift, and joins the revolutionary class, the class that holds the future in its hands. Just as, therefore, at an earlier period, a section of the nobility went over to the bourgeoisie, so now a portion of the bourgeoisie goes over to the proletariat, and in particular, a portion of the bourgeois ideologists, who have raised themselves to the level of comprehending theoretically the historical movement as a whole .’’
Without doubt, the class struggle is about to break out into open class warfare, the ‘’decisive hour’’. Now we can expect a few bourgeois intellectuals to ‘’cut themselves adrift’’, and ‘’join the revolutionary class’’, the proletariat, as that is the class which ‘’holds the future in its hands’’. We can also expect them to assist in the creation of an International Scientific Socialist Communist Party. Their anticipated participation will be most welcome.
With Most Sincere Communist Greetings,
Gerald McIsaac
